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Apple Said to Make iOS 27 a 'Snow Leopard' Reset, With AI Additions

The shift is reportedly paired with AI features powered by a custom Gemini model in Apple’s private cloud.

Overview

  • Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reports Apple will emphasize software quality and performance in iOS 27, a strategy tied to user complaints about iOS 26 issues like battery drain, overheating and UI glitches.
  • The quality-first approach is said to span macOS 27 and smaller platforms, with engineering teams combing code to remove bloat, squash bugs and boost responsiveness.
  • Despite the reset, new AI is expected, including a health-focused agent that could be linked to a paid Health+ service and an AI-powered web search feature.
  • A major Siri upgrade is reportedly planned for iOS 26.4 in spring 2026 using a customized, privately hosted version of Google’s Gemini, with an internal ‘Veritas’ chatbot used to test the re-architected assistant.
  • Early developer betas of iOS 27 are expected shortly after WWDC in June 2026, and the release is described as laying groundwork for future hardware such as foldable iPhones.